No Way
by Reikaku Pyro
Summary: [Honda X Shizuka, Jounouchi X Mai, slight Atemu X Anxu X Yuugi] Honda's been surpressing his feelings for Shizuka and finds he's not the only one, but there's a problem: Jounouchi. Maybe he needs a little romantic distraction of his own.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes: Been awhile since I posted anything. Anyway, this is sort of a multi-pairing fic, focusing on Honda and Shizuka. I'd appreciate feedback, but not flames. I'm perfectly aware that many don't like that pairing, but...well. I do. So yes. Enjoy_ :D

_...I'm sure you'll figure this out, but this chapter is done from Honda's POV. Duh XDD;_

* * *

"No way. I PROMISE you, Honda. In a one-on-one match, Batman would TOTALLY own Spiderman," Jounouchi said matter of factly. 

Honda rolled his eyes. "Please. That's like putting a Chihuahua against a pit bull," he said blandly. "Need I remind you who has the superpowers?"

"Oh whoopity-freakin-doo. Peter Parker can shoot webs out of his hand and jump around like he belongs in the circus. Big deal," Jounouchi taunted. "BATMAN doesn't need special powers, and he can do everything Spidey can and more. Bruce Wayne would kick his butt and you know it."

Mai, who was comfortably seated on the couch next to the fighting boys, sighed in sheer exasperation. "Would both of you shut up before I develop my own superpowers and kill you?"

Right across from Mai in a large armchair sat Anzu, with Yuugi perched on the armrest. "Good luck, Mai," the brunette girl shrugged. "I've been trying that for years."

"Any luck?"

"I can bend spoons with my mind, but that's about it. Nothing lethal."

"Ah. Darn."

Yuugi smiled sheepishly and, as usual attempted to keep the peace. "Let's not fight, guys. Anzu asked us over to her house so we could have some fun, not kill each other."

The blonde woman smirked down at Jounouchi, who along with Honda and his sister Shizuka, was sprawled across the floor. "In this case I think they're one and the same," she sneered.

Jounouchi glared at the girl with intense spite. "Hey, you don't like it, you can leave, Mai!" he snorted at her.

"Don't you talk to me that way, Jounouchi Katsuya!" Mai gasped, bending down and whacking the blonde boy upside the head. Her normal action to keep him in line. Needless to say, it was ineffective.

"Hey! That hurt!" he whined, irritated.

"Oh really? What about this?" and she smacked him again. This went on for several more rounds.

It had been awhile since the whole gang just spent time together like this. Honda figured that was the reason for Anzu's little get together. Earlier that day Honda got a call from his friend asking him to come over, and once he got there, Jounouchi, Yuugi, and Shizuka were already present, and Mai wandered in several minutes after him. At first he was slightly confused as to why Mai would come to something like this, so he'd asked Anzu about while they were in the kitchen. Apparently she'd called Mai figuring she wouldn't show up, but when Anzu asked Mai replied with "Who will be there?" When Anzu listed off the names of those she'd confirmed with, Mai nonchalantly agreed to attend. Both brunettes figure it had something to do with a certain blonde-haired idiot friend of theirs, but they weren't about to say anything. After all, it was already PAINFULLY obvious that the two had a thing for each other. They were both just way too stubborn to admit it.

Even now, as Honda watched Jou and Mai go at it for a bit, he realized just how twisted his friends were. At least in the area of relationships. There was the endless antics of Jounouchi and Mai, obviously crazy for one another but too proud to do anything about it. Then there was the triangle sitting on the chair. Anzu was head over heels for Yuugi's other self, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, while little Yuugi had been crushing on Anzu since grade school. And of course, Seto Kaiba had an unhealthy obsession with a certain dragon card. It was all like a bad teen drama. This week on Domino High.

But Honda couldn't exclude himself from the list of twisted unrequited love, as much as he wished he could. As he contemplated the…less that normal romance that surrounded him, his eyes fell upon the long auburn hair of Kawai Shizuka. Yes. It was true. Honda Hiroto had quite the crush on his best friend's little sister. It had been that way ever since Battle City when Honda took Shizuka to find Jou. At first he was just making jokes about dating the girl to get under Jou's skin, but he soon found himself stammering and blushing furiously around the sweet girl. She was so endearing, and even though Honda was much like Jou in the aspect of women, he couldn't help from thinking about her kind words and naïve nature. In this area it was rare to find someone that pure and honest. It was refreshing to say the least, and Honda had fallen. Hard.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Anzu's scream. "Ok, ENOUGH you two," she yelled at Jounouchi and Mai, who were still arguing like they were actually fighting about SOMETHING. "Honestly. Why aren't you married yet?" she sighed.

That prompted not only quite the glare from both blondes, but a deep crimson blush on Jou's cheeks, and a faint pink on Mai's. "Married!" Mai shouted back. "Who'd DATE this idiot, let alone marry?"

"What? Oh, same to you, Mai," Jou snorted back, crossing his arms in frustration. "Women."

"Idiots," Mai imitated his tone.

"…Shut up."

"ENOUGH," Anzu yelled again. "My mind can't take this anymore."

Yuugi and Shizuka smiled hesitantly at each other. Honda just shook his head. "Well, if we aren't going to watch Jou and Mai pretend to hate each other-"

"Who's pretending?" Jou sneered, and Mai whacked him again.

"-THEN WHAT exactly are we going to do?" Honda jumped in to prevent more blonde stupidity. "Any suggestions?"

Everyone turned to Anzu, and she simply blinked. "Why's everyone looking at _me_?" she asked.

"Your party. Didn't you have anything planned?" Jou blurted out with the tact of a jackhammer.

"Well, STUPIDLY I thought maybe we would just be happy to see each other and we'd get along, but I guess it's been longer than I thought."

Mai got an evil grin. "You know, we could always be really cheesy and play something incredibly stupid," she said slyly, picking up an empty soda bottle from the floor. "Spin the bottle, anyone?"

The 18 and under crowd simply stared at the woman in complete awe, pink and red flooding their faces. Anzu was the one to break the awkward silence. "You're not serious."

"Why not?" Mai shrugged, feigning innocence. "We're bored, we have a bottle, and no other suggestions."

"But you're talking spin the bottle, Mai!" Jounouchi flailed. "What if I end up having to kiss Honda or something?"

"Amusement for the rest of us," she smirked.

"…Oh no. I'm not playing," Jou said sternly.

"Oh, shut up, Jou. If you knew the rules you'd know that guys don't have to kiss guys….well. Unless they WANT to," Mai said slyly, sitting on the ground next to Jou and nudging him with her elbow.

That caught his attention. "What?"

"Oh come on, you guys," Mai insisted. "There's three girls and three guys. It works out perfectly! And what's the harm? It's just a little innocent fun"

Anzu protested. "If my parents catch us doing this we're HISTORY," she said. "And the thought of kissing…I don't know. Jounouchi. That's just…just…"

"Sqeamy?" Jou supplied.

"Yes. Thank you," Anzu nodded in his direction.

"Okay. Fine. I'll make you all a deal," Mai bargained. "If one of you comes up with an idea within the next minute, we'll drop the whole spin the bottle thing."

"I've got one. I vote we all jump off the roof," Jou said.

"….Let me rephrase that. A BETTER idea," Mai rolled her eyes.

"…Again I say…"

"Oh would you just shut it!"

The room went silent as everyone's minds scrambled for another idea. Mai simple sat smugly and watched as everyone tried to save themselves. At one point, Honda glanced down at his watch and saw that they had 15 seconds left. He looked at Jou's face, and it was getting redder by the second. He knew Jounouchi was thinking of the possibility of kissing Mai. That WOULD be pretty funny. It would be worth putting up with the agony of the game just for that. Across the room Honda caught Yuugi blushing and smiling sweetly at a distracted Anzu. Honda found himself rooting for that to work. The little guy deserved a chance, right?

His eyes wandered over to Shizuka again, who was pretending to tie her shoelace. Then it hit him. What if he had to kiss Shizuka? He kind of…liked the thought, but there was a large problem. Jounouchi. Shizuka's brother was…very protective of her, to say the least. He practically killed Otogi whenever he made a pass at the girl. That's why Honda never brought it up even as a joke anymore. Somehow it didn't seem funny. But in this situation how could he hide? He'd have to kiss Shizuka if his spin landed on her, or vice versa. Would Jou freak out because of that? After all…it was the game…not him…oh God.

"Time's up!" Mai cheerfully exclaimed. "So what's the verdict? Another idea, or do we whip out the chapstick?"

"…Charming as that was, Mai," Anzu pouted, defeated, "I've got nothing."

"Me neither," Yuugi said softly.

"Same," Shizuka blushed.

"Um. Yeah," Honda nodded.

"Four out of five," Mai announced, looking at Jou. "Gonna make it unanimous, _Jounouchi?_" she cooed.

"I…I…" he stammered, the blush deepening. "…I stand by my earlier statement."

Honda found it PAINFULLY obvious that no one had really spent the minute thinking about what else to do. It had been a minute dedicated to wishful thinking or mounting paranoia. Wonderful.

"That's it then. I win!" Mai cheered in private victory. "Everyone in a circle!" The others complied. Honda sat between Mai and Anzu, Yuugi next to Anzu, Jou next to Mai, and Shizuka directly across from him. He noticed how she didn't look up from her soft pink Converse sneakers. This must be the most awkward for her, since she was technically still in middle school….and he suddenly felt very dirty.

Mai cured him of that, though. "Alright. I'll go first," she said in a sing song tone, and gave the bottle a spin. All three boys held their breath as it slowed, and Honda caught Jou practically twitching.

The bottle stopped….on Yuugi.

Jou looked relieved and heartbroken. How subtle he was.

Mai smiled, leaned over, and placed a very soft kiss on Yuugi's cheek. "See? Not so scary?" she shrugged playfully.

Yuugi blushed and looked down at the carpet. "Mm-hmm," he muttered. "Does that mean…it's my turn?"

"Yup," Mai nodded. Yuugi hesitantly took the bottle in his hand and spun it, and the two other girls stared at it like it was a dog on fire. It stopped right between Honda and Anzu.

Yuugi stared at it a moment, then looked to Mai. "What now?"

"Hm," she pondered. "Well, let's do it like this. If it lands between people like that, let's say you pick who you wanna kiss-" Honda sighed with relief at this. No way would Yuugi choose him over Anzu. "-And the other person has to spin next." Oh, snap.

"O-okay," Yuugi nodded, stammering quietly. "Umm…A-Anzu?"

"..oh. Oh, me?" she blinked. Honda didn't know WHY. Did she expect Yuugi to kiss him? Because that was NOT going down.

Yuugi leaned over and gave Anzu possibly the softest kiss known to man. Honda was amazed when Anzu actually blushed a deep crimson. The brunette girl looked at him quickly. "Well, you're turn, Honda," she said impatiently. Apparently she wanted the heat off of her. He couldn't blame her.

Honda just looked at the bottle for a minute. He was not looking forward to this. He'd either have to kiss someone he didn't want to kiss, or kiss Shizuka and get the snot beaten out of him by Jounouchi later on, and neither option sounded all too appealing.

"We aren't getting any younger, Honda," Mai sighed.

"Thank you for the cheesy phrase, Mai," he snapped back. "I'll keep that in mind."

"…I'll forgive you since I know you're on edge," she smirked. "Now spin it."

…Damn her and her perception.

Honda finally gave the bottle a spin, watching it intently as it slowed. When it stopped with the bottle pointing directly at Shizuka, he thought he had literally died. No WAY was this happening.

Shizuka blinked widely at the bottle, her soft olive eyes a bit glazed over. Her cheeks went from soft pink to crimson almost instantly, and Honda felt his own face burn when she looked up at him.

That didn't last long, because right next to the picture of innocence was restrained rage in the form of Jounouchi. Obviously, he wanted nothing more than to rip of Honda's head (either one would do), and feed it to a rabid dog. Frightening.

"Well?" Mai rolled her eyes. "You're holding up the game, Honda."

"Yeah yeah," Honda said coldly, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "You know, this whole game is stupid."

"Stop complaining and do it," Mai argued. "You weren't saying anything when other people did it."

"Mmm," Honda mumbled, avoiding Shizuka's eyes.

"…It's ok, Honda-san," he heard Shizuka say softly. "I don't mind…"

He looked over and saw her blushing furiously, but she was smiling. That…it couldn't be.

A moment later he slowly leaned across the circle, and so did Shizuka. They met in the middle and softly pushed their lips together. The stayed a little longer than the other two did, but not long enough to raise any questions. In fact, Honda was shocked to find he was the one pulling away first.

Once both had returned to their original seats, Honda saw Mai and Anzu snickering maniacally, Yuugi quietly smiling off in his own world, probably still thinking about the kiss with Anzu, and then…Jounouchi. He was…FUMING, to say the least. Just as Shizuka reached for the bottle, Jou snatched it out from under her hand.

"I'll take this turn," he insisted, simply daring anyone to defy him. He spun the bottle, and Honda saw him glance quickly to Mai.

The bottle stopped.

It was pointed right at Jounouchi.

Mai giggled. "Pucker up, stud."

"…Oh this is just STUPID."

* * *

_There's the first chapter. There'll be more, probably two or three. So keep a lookout if you're interested in what's going to happen. Later_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's notes: Got this chapter done fairly quickly, considering how spazzy my computer's been lately._

_In this chapter, I have Kaiba as a character. I know he seems rather OOC, and he really is, but some of the characters I'm basing off their counterparts in an RP I'm in on LJ. Like Anzu in the last chapter? Totally a rip off of my friend Gabbeh, who plays her. I just love them so much, and Honda and Seto are friends there. I wanted that to come through in the fic since I love their witty banter XD Snark, baby._

_Anyway. Here's chapter 2. About halfway thoughthe POV changes, but I tried to make it obvious._

* * *

The next morning in Honda's algebra class, he couldn't focus. Not at all. He was vaguely aware of the subject being taught, and every now and then he'd scribble down some illegible notes to at least pretend he was learning. But when it came down to it, Hiroto's mind was still back at Anzu's, thinking about how Shizuka blushed and smiled so sweetly right before he drove off on his bike. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about her smile seemed different. Almost as though there were something she wanted to say, but…couldn't. It's mysterious quality haunted Honda now as he sat and attempted to unravel the world of quadratic equations. 

After what seemed like forever and a day, the bell rang for first period to end. Of course, Honda didn't hear it. What broke him out of his trance was a poke from Seto Kaiba, someone Honda had a…sort of truce with ever since they were forced to work together on a school project. Of course, Jounouchi out-right objected, saying he didn't want his best friend to be infected with stupid asshole germs. As it turned out, Honda already had a case because the two brunettes got along fairly well.

"Where exactly have you been all class, Honda?" Seto said in his usual cold tone, standing beside Honda's desk.

"What are you talking about, Kaiba?" Honda raised a slight eyebrow. "I've been right here. You sit two rows behind me. You know that. Or are the eyes getting a little fuzzy?"

Kaiba's expression didn't change. As though it ever did. "The eyes are fine. And you damn well haven't been here. For the past hour you've been staring at the board with a dopey glazed over expression. You actually reminded me of the mutt."

"Jounouchi?"

"Is there any other? I was tempted to cut all association with you completely."

"I'm so honored you've kept me in your good graces," Honda snorted dryly.

"I decided to be lenient."

"How kind."

"Anyway," Kaiba broke up the witty banter. "You still haven't answered my original question. I was practically giddy when the teacher dropped the book on his foot and started reciting random theorems. You didn't even crack a smirk."

"You? Giddy?"

"Don't change the subject."

Honda sighed heavily and grabbed his book bag, heading for the door. "I guess I just wasn't as riveted by the zany antics of Algebra teachers as you were."

Seto followed him. "I may not be very perceptive when it comes to stuff like feelings, but I'm not completely blind, Honda," he insisted. "Spill it, hair boy."

Honda shot Seto quite the look, but decided to give up. He knew that when Seto wanted to know something, he found out one way or another, and no amount of dirty glares would detour him. "I just had a…a weird night last night, that's all," he said with a sigh. Bitter defeat.

"…Specific. Really," Kaiba replied dully, obviously not satisfied. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"Not really, no," Honda said, maneuvering around a group of students standing in the hall.

"Too bad," Seto followed, however he didn't have to maneuver. People just…moved for him. Honda envied that power a bit. He realized there was no use in hiding it. One way or another, Seto would figure out what was going through his head. It was a strange…almost frightening skill the CEO possessed.

"Fine," Honda sighed. "I was at Anzu's last night with Yuugi, Jou, Mai and…Jou's little sister, Shizuka."

"I remember the mutt's sister. She actually had manners."

"Yeah, well. Mai decided that we all just HAD to play…spin the bottle," Honda said, his voice trailing a bit.

Seto blinked, then cackled a little. "You ACTUALLY played spin the bottle? I didn't think people actually did that. I thought it was some weird ploy used in American sitcoms made for 11 year olds."

"You know, this is why I don't tell you things."

"Sorry. Please continue. I'm riveted."

"Anyway, I had to…kiss Shizuka," Honda continued. "And I've…kinda..well…"

"Had a crush on her since Battle City and now you wanna ask her out?"

"…How did you?"

"Once again. Not blind," Seto said blandly. It amazed Honda how he could say just about anything with no trace of emotion whatsoever. "So why don't you?"

"I don't know. It seems weird."

"Personally, I don't see the need for these little high school sweetheart romances. Not to mention she's the mutt's sister, so I can't see the appeal."

Honda almost explained, but opted for another tactic. He sighed wistfully. "I guess you're right. It would REALLY piss off Jou too…"

Kaiba paused for a moment, then pulled out a cell phone and held it out to Honda. "Call and ask her. Right now. I'll drive you."

"…Thanks for the support," Honda blinked.

"I don't see what you're so concerned about," Kaiba said quite seriously. "So the mutt'll get upset. Big deal. He'd get just as upset if he tripped over his own shoelace…which I have seen, by the way, so don't defend him."

Seto…made a good point. "I guess…"

"Stop being such a girl, Honda," Kaiba said plainly. "If you want to ask her out, do it. Rover will get over it."

"No, he won't," Honda interrupted. "If there's one thing Ro-..Jounounchi doesn't take lightly, it's anything to do with his sister."

"Stop would you stop bringing him up?" Seto nearly growled. "This is between you and the girl. No where in the equation does the idiot come in. And let me guess. You haven't even talked to Shizuka about it."

…Damn. "Well…no…"

Seto sighed, clearly annoyed. "I feel like a damn therapist. Look, I only have about one minute of sincerity left, so listen up. Talk to the girl, forget the mutt. If Shizuka's happy, I'm sure he'll be okay with it. And if he's not, he'll just have to get a hobby."

Honda blinked in awe. "…Well aren't we insightful this morning?" he smirked.

"Not anymore. I'm done playing Love Connection."

"In any case, thanks for wasting your minute of sincerity on me," Honda smiled a bit.

Seto smirked, but didn't show any other signs of emotion. "Don't get used to it," he said, walking away to leave Honda with his thoughts.

* * *

Shizuka waited patiently outside of Honda's apartment building, hugging her book bag to her chest. She was…extremely nervous. She hadn't planned this out at all, and it was such a delicate matter. But she felt she had to say something. All day at Domino Junior High, she couldn't concentrate on her work. In PE she got hit in the head with a volleyball, normally a sport she was fairly good at. But she spaced out and before she could react- BAM. Her head was still a bit sore. But that was the wake up call she needed. 

Last night was….very special for her. Shizuka always new that Honda was a sweet, caring guy, and she often thought it would be nice to spend time with him, but she always brushed that off as just a little school girl crush. It wouldn't lead to anything. What would a sweet, cute high school boy want with a shy little middle school girl like her? When Mai suggested spin the bottle, Shizuka's mind immediately thought about the possibility of kissing her big brother's friend, and she could just feel her cheeks burning. When Honda's spin landed on her, she smiled a bit, then ducked her head down. When Honda was so hesitant to kiss her, she blurted out "It's okay, Honda-san. I don't mind," and then felt horrible. How transparent! Not to mention forward of her. But…she really wanted to. When they did kiss, Shizuka felt better about the whole situation. As the night went on, she noticed Honda looking at her and blushing slightly, and then he'd quickly turned his head. She couldn't help but think he was cute. When she went out with him to say good night, she had wanted to say that she liked him, but felt so awkward she just couldn't. As he hopped on his motorcycle and grabbed his helmet, she just smiled with flushed cheeks and said good-night, and as he drove off, she wanted to cry. Had she missed her chance?

Instead of heading to the bus station to take her home like she normally did after school, Shizuka walked over to Honda's, but didn't have the guts to knock on the door. After all, she knew he wouldn't be home yet, and she wouldn't know what to say to his mother or older sister. Waiting on the sidewalk seemed like the best option. At least that gave her time to think about what to say. This had to go better than last night.

She didn't have enough time however. She still didn't have an answer to her dilemma when she saw Hiroto wander around the corner and stop, looking at her with wide eyes. She just smiled nervously and rocked on her heels a bit.

"Shi-Shizuka?" he stammered a bit when he reached her. "Why're you…I mean. What're you doing here?"

"I…I wanted to visit you," she said softly, trying to give a sweet smile but was too nervous to do so. She noticed how puzzled Honda looked.

She found herself envying her brother. He never had any problem saying how he felt. He was so brave…unlike her. She needed his courage.

"Actually…" she began to admit, "There's…something that I…I wanted to tell you last night but…I was too scared." Her cheeks were burning as she clutched her bag even tighter and suddenly found the ground extremely interesting. She thought of her brother, and it gave her courage. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I…I like you, Honda!"

…_I did it!_ She thought, opening her eyes and smiling a bit. She felt…so much better.

..Or she would have, if not for the awkward silence.

She looked up for some sort of reaction, olive eyes wide and curious. Honda's face seemed blank except for the pink flush on the tan skin of his cheeks. "I know you probably get that from a lot of girls in high school," she said, looking off to the side. "But I just…wanted to say that…"

"No!" he interrupted suddenly, making Shizuka's eyes dart up in surprise. "I mean…I…I like you, too…" Honda stuttered as the pink got deeper.

"…Really?" she blinked, quite surprised. She never thought that Honda would return her feelings. It was a welcome surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

He only nodded slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets then looking up at the sky.

Suddenly, Shizuka dropped the bag she'd held so tightly. After a small step forward she flung her arms around Honda's neck and hugged him. She felt him tense up as he stammered something she didn't quite catch in her moment of bliss, but after a moment his arms find their way around her as well. Even though she'd done all this just in an instant of emotion, she didn't pull back.

….Until she heard a familiar voice from behind Honda. "What the HELL is going on here!"

She opened her eyes to see her brother, storming up the sidewalk towards them, eyes ablaze. She pulled away as Honda spun around to face his friend.

"Jounouchi!" Honda exclaimed.

"What were you doing to MY sister!" Jou demanded grabbing Honda's collar and pushing him towards the wall. Shizuka shrieked and tried to pry her brother away, but she didn't have the strength.

"Onii-chan, let him go!" she pleaded.

"Jou, just calm down!" Honda said, a nervous smile on his face.

After a moment, Jou did release his friend, but he was still VERY angry. "You didn't answer my question," he growled. "What. Were you doing. To MY. Sister?"

Honda shook his head. "I wasn't _doing _anything!" he insisted then stood up straight. "Look, Jounouchi. I like Shizuka, okay? I like her a lot," Honda explained passionately. Shizuka stood back and blushed. "….I wanna take her out."

Jou's face froze. "You _what?"_

"I…I wanna take Shizuka out on a…a date," Honda stammered, obviously trying to stay strong.

"…We're going home, Shizuka," Jou said in a dark tone firmly grabbing Shizuka's arm and dragging her down the sidewalk. "You can FORGET IT, Honda!"

"But, Onii-chan, I-" Shizuka tried to argue, but Jounouchi kept yelling back at Honda. She turned to look at the tan boy, who was now standing and watching her be dragged. He sighed and hung his head, and she barely heard him say, "I knew this would happen."

* * *

_OH SNAP. Well, that's another portion of the story out of the way. I think the next chapter will be the last. And it'll have lots of fun Polarshipping stuff, so check it out _3 


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Notes: Um...Yeah XD; Finally getting this chapter up. I kept changing it, and I STILL don't like it all that much, but I decided this was the best it would get for now._

_This chapter focuses around Jounouchi and Mai, since I had to toss in my OTP. Yeah._

* * *

Shizuka looked in the mirror and hesitantly sighed. "I don't know, Mai…"

"Nonsense!" Mai said wistfully. "You look great! Honda will just die when he sees you!"

"I just don't feel comfortable like this…" Shizuka pulled a bit on the hem of the short skirt.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Well, you asked me here to help you get ready for your date with Honda, and now you don't want to take my advice?"

Jounouchi was scowling in the doorway. "There is no way she's going out dressed like that," he said plainly.

"Quiet, Jou," Mai ordered. "This has nothing to do with you."

Jou grumbled and walked out into the living room.

"Men," Mai sighed with a smirk.

Shizuka smiled a bit, but the smile faded as she looked in the mirror again. True, she had asked Mai to help her pick out an outfit for her date, but…she didn't expect Mai to come in with her OWN clothes for Shizuka. Everything was meant to be tight, but the clothes hung awkwardly on Shizuka since she didn't have Mai's figure.

"I think I'm going to wear one of my dresses, Mai," she tried to smile sweetly.

"Hmph. Fine," Mai rolled her eyes again. "That didn't look good on you anyway."

"Thanks anyway, Mai."

* * *

The knock at the door startled Jounouchi, though he didn't know why. He knew exactly who it was. But childishly, Jou didn't budge from the couch. 

Mai was sitting on a chair in the kitchen, waiting for Shizuka to come out for her approval. She noted that Jou was making no attempt to open the door even after the second knock. "Aren't you going to get that?" she asked dryly.

"Nope," Jou proclaimed.

"You know, it's probably Honda."

"…And?"

"…You are SUCH a baby," Mai sighed, deciding to get the door herself. She was a bit shocked to see Honda dressed rather nicely, with a nice brown jacket and dark jeans. "Well, don't we look snazzy?" she grinned, impressed.

"Very funny, Mai," Honda sneered, but the slight blush showed he appreciated to comment. "Is Shizuka ready?"

"Almost. Come on in," Mai smiled.

Honda walked in, immediately earning an icy glare from Jounouchi.

"…Hey, Jou," Honda tried being friendly. Jou's glare hardened in response. Honda coughed.

"Don't mind him," Mai said blandly. "He's just being a big baby, like always."

"Hey! Your best friend isn't putting the moves on your baby sister!" Jou objected, nearly jumping over the back of the couch.

"Jounouchi, NO ONE is putting the moves on ANYONE," Mai yelled back, getting annoyed. "They're just going to dinner and a movie!"

"Psh. I know what goes on in movie theaters."

"How would you?"

"I….HEY!"

Honda, meanwhile, decided to break up this lovely conversation. "Gee, sure is taking Shizuka awhile," he said offhandedly, secretly sweating bullets.

"Look here, Honda," Jou said sternly, walking over from the couch. "You even LOOK at my sister the wrong way and I'll rip your arm off and beat you with it, got it?" he threatened.

"Oh, please," Mai sighed, exasperated.

Jou shot her a glare, then eyed Honda again. "….I STILL don't like this," he said a bit more calmly. "But for some reason, Shizuka wants to go with you." Mai looked like she was about to add something else to the conversation, but Honda got there first.

"Jou, I promise. I'll be a good boy. Scout's honor," Honda said blandly. How many times would he have to say that before his BEST FRIEND would believe him?

Once again, Jounouchi did not look convinced, but at this point there wasn't much he could do about it. "I want you to know the only reason I'm not killing you right now is because Shizuka would be sad, and I'd have to break in a new best friend. And I don't wanna deal with the hassle."

"Gee. Thanks."

Shizuka finally emerged from her room. Mai was a bit disappointed to see she'd chosen a jean skirt that fell to her knees and a pale pink shirt with a light green shirt on top. "Hello, Honda-kun!" she said. "You look…very nice…"

Honda blinked. "Oh! Um…thanks. You too," he stammered. Mai chuckled. This was just too cute.

"Well, you two kids should get going," Mai clasped her hands together. Jounouchi glared at her.

"You'd think she was the one going out from how happy she is," he commented. Mai returned the glare.

"Excuse me for being happy for them, _Jounouchi_," she sneered. During this little spat, Honda and Shizuka were already out the door. They'd wanted to avoid further interference from the two blondes.

"Well. That was interesting," Honda said, ruffling his hair as the walked towards the steps.

Shizuka nodded. "I wonder why they fight so much," she said.

Honda smirked a little bit. "I don't think we have to worry about them."

* * *

"Honestly, Jounouchi. I don't know what the big deal is here," Mai groaned, flopping on the couch and crossing her legs. "Honda's your best friend, so why don't you trust him? He seems to really like your sister." 

Jou shot her another icy glare. "Why are you still here?" he asked harshly. "I thought you were just helping Shizuka."

"You're avoiding the question," she said in a singsong tone.

"Mai, I don't see what business it is of yours."

"And I don't see what business it is of yours, either."

"She's my _sister!_" Jou yelled. "How's it not my business!"

"Jounouchi! She's old enough to handle her own personal life!" Mai yelled back.

Jou just scoffed. That really got under Mai's skin.

"Don't you just write me off, Jounouchi Katsuya! I know what I'm talking about!" she jumped up from the couch.

"Uh-huh. Sure you do," Jou rolled his eyes, but he was getting just as irritated.

Mai fumed. No one in the world got her madder than Jou could. "You're such a baby."

Jounouchi didn't like that. Mai always called him names and contradicted everything he said. "Don't call me a baby! I'm trying to protect my sister!"

"From what! Being happy with another guy!"

"No!" Jou screamed, then paused. "I mean, yes! I mean…I don't know what I mean!" he spazzed. "I STILL don't know why you're still here!"

"You are _so_ predictable, Jounouchi!" Mai sneered. "The second you start losing a fight you try to get out of it!"

"What the HELL are you ranting about! How am I losing!"

"There's no way you could win! Seriously! What the hell do you know about love?" Mai scoffed.

Jounouchi scowled. "I know more than _you,_ Mai!" he declared.

She got even more irritated. "What! There's no way!"

"Yeah! Sure!"

"How DARE YOU, Jounouchi Katsuya!" Mai screamed. "There's no way that you understand love more than I do!"

"And what exactly makes you think that!" Jou yelled back, taking a few angry steps towards the girl.

"You're so DENSE you can't even tell that I LOVE YOU, YOU MORON!" Mai stepped forward as well.

"OH YEAH? WELL THAT DOESN'T HELP YOU ANY!" Jou screamed.

"AND WHY NOT?"

"BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED THAT I LOVE YOU EITHER, SO THERE!"

"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE WE FIGHTING ABOUT!"

"I HAVE NO IDEA!"

Mai was about to scream back, but the events that just took place finally sunk in. Had Jounouchi just said…?

"…You…you _love_ me?" she said softly.

"YE-" Jou began screaming, but stopped mid-word. "Yeah…"

Mai stared at him a moment, the sat on the couch and looked down at the floor. This couldn't be happening. In the heat of the moment, she and Jounouchi had just admitted how much they cared about each other. Somehow she couldn't decide if she were admitting to Jounouchi or if she was admitting to herself.

"…Wow…" she whispered.

Jounouchi watched her from where he stood, eventually feeling the need to go over, take her in his arms and show her all the feelings he'd held for so long. But he fought it, resisting the urge by clenching his hands and staring at her troubled face. Finally, she looked up to him, eyes wide and curious.

"So…do we both…really mean what we just said?" she asked softly.

Jounouchi gulped, then slowly nodded. "I…I meant it."

Her ruby grape eyes blinked, then looked back to the floor, her blonde curls falling over her shoulders as she stood. "I…should go," she said, still not looking at Jou.

He froze. He didn't want her to leave. All the fighting they'd done…? Had it really been some sick twisted form of flirting? "What?"

She walked around the couch towards the door. "I can't stay here," she said, obviously just as disturbed as he was.

"Wait!" he finally broke his trance and jumped over the couch to grab her arm. "Mai, you can't just go, we gotta talk about this!"

"There's nothing to talk about!" she insisted, trying to pull away. "This is all too weird! I can't-"

"Why not!" he pleaded, bringing her to him. "I'm freaked out too, you know! You think I don't know how twisted this is!"

"Jounouchi, you don't understand-!"

"The hell I don't!" he yelled, but not with the anger from before. Rather with a passion he didn't know he possessed. He grabbed both her shoulders and made her face him. Suddenly he wasn't thinking anymore. It was all about making Mai see. "Tell me what I don't understand, Mai!"

"Jounouchi, let me go!" Mai demanded.

"Not until you tell me what I don't understand!"

"I don't KNOW, OKAY!" she yelled up to him, eyes brimming with tears.

Jounouchi froze again. He hadn't expected tears from Mai. Then again, he hadn't expected that she'd loved him back. Crazy.

"This is all so insane!" she continued, her voice more subdued. "It can't be! I mean, one minute we were ready to rip each other's throats out then we're saying we love each other? It doesn't make sense! I think…I think we just…overreacted, Jounouchi. This isn't love, it can't be!"

"…But, Mai-"

"No, Jounouchi! There's no way this is what love is! It-"

But she couldn't finish the sentence. Jounouchi had pulled her against his chest and pressed his lips against hers within an instant. She didn't even have time to react. She stood frozen in his arms as Jounouchi kissed her. Even once she somewhat regained her senses, she couldn't pull away as much as her mind screamed at her to. Her fingers grasped at his shirt and her heels lifted off the ground as she began to kiss him back out of instinct, one of her arms wrapping around his neck. She felt his hand press against the small of her back as he deepened their kiss. She became overwhelmed by the fiery passion she could feel from his lips. It was something she'd never felt before, and she didn't want it to end even if her brain knew how wrong this whole thing was.

Jounouchi finally pulled away, his warm lips still hovering over hers, and his breath heavy. "Do I still not understand, Mai?" he asked in a husky voice that made Mai shiver.

"…No," She finally answered breathlessly. "I think…I think you understand just fine." Then she pulled him into another, deep kiss, and Jounouchi gladly complied, smirking a little the whole while.

* * *

_Author's Notes: Daw X3 OT-Freaking-P right there. I need to work on my characterization of Mai, though. Huh._

_Oh well. One more chapter. Pure Honda X Shizuka floof._


End file.
